Best Exercises for Chest Growth (Upper)

[GDADDYG8]

I have a very good upper chest, so does my father, I used to do 150lb incline dumbbell press, he just does pushups.

I don’t do DB incline presses. Just barbell for a while. Think I will make the switch!


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[GDADDYG8]

I like supersetting with push-ups... after each set rip off 12-15 pushups.. for ME, its paid dividends.....

Chest looks massive! May try some push ups, thanks for the advice.


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[GDADDYG8]

Incline Presses Do Not Really Work the Upper Pecs Much ! - YouTube

Great video


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[Smack]

Is it just me or are lot of people not seeing the "Upper" emphasis here?

Anyway, my upper chest lags and been working on it...

BB front raises allow me to get a good squeeze in the upper chest

Then seated cable military press but pushing the cables a little forward so when you finish the press your hands are more or less shoulder width apart and in front of you at around a 140-130 degree angle to your torso.

 

[joos23]

Didn't Lats post something about doing decline for upper chest or decline works whole whole muscle. Hopefully he can chime in on this. I believe this post was a few years back

 

[danieltx]

Didn't Lats post something about doing decline for upper chest or decline works whole whole muscle. Hopefully he can chime in on this. I believe this post was a few years back

In theory and in science the decline should be the most effective exercise for chest since it most closely replicates the pec's function - bringing the arm down and across the body.

But how many guys do you know that built great chests from decline benching?

You can also emphasize the upper portion a bit on a flat or decline by doing a guillotine press - positioning yourself so the bar comes down over your throat - but again, how many guys built their chests doing that?

 

[Brickshthouse79]

Concreteguy posted a link to this video on anasci. Ivr done 2 of the 3 and like them a lot. Havent tried the last one.

[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IQsaUPISXOs[/ame]

 

[lookslikesausage]

"Pec deck with seat as low as possible".

This is my favorite upper chest movement. The higher you have to reach for the handles the more emphasis you'll get on the upper chest.

Dante posted a vid on his ig that has since disappeared, they only show for a day or 2 when in his stories. It was an exercise where he sat in a hammer press machine ( I want to say the incline but not 100 % sure now), lowered the seat to the very bottom and pressed and then when he got to near bottom he'd hold it for a 5 count and press again. He said do it for a few months and watch your upper chest grow. I tried it a couple times and the pump is just vicious so I'll see how it goes.

both hurt my shoulders a lot, particular too low a seat on the pec-deck. Hammer, forget it. Do you guys do a limited ROM on these? I have the flexibility but get very bad pain in my rotator cuff and anterior delt.

 

[Elvia1023]

I think for many who are unsure it's always useful standing in a mirror and pressing using different heights/techniques and seeing what that looks like. See the difference in the chest when you press at different angles. As I posted earlier studies have shown equal or even superior muscle activation when using flat-decline presses. However the height/angle of pressing can make a big difference. When you press high the shoulders are activated much more as well.

Also think about the function of the pec muscles and what they are there to do. That's why it's superior bringing your hands in (closer together) as you press upwards (db's and cables). There is a place for every style of pressing though and I also recommend some wider grip pressing (I prefer using the Smith). Personally I rotate but I have had most results by changing my form and having my elbows at approx 45 degress. I often do the same with the angle I hold the db's as well. A variety of weights but the bread and butter is heavy pressing and usually an intensity such as a drop set. I like to pick a max weight and do as many reps as possible then half the weight and aim for double the reps (rest pause if needed). I got that one from Seth Feroce. My chest was always crap but has improved a lot in the last year by improving my execution/form.

I also recommend trying some cable presses and play about with the handles. I get a great connection with using a hammer grip but also bringing in the handles in as I press and squeezing as hard as fuck on every rep. My chest is inflated when I do those which is a clear size it's targeting the muscle well. I personally prefer pressing fairly low with cables and sometiems even downwards but play about with angles and see what you prefer. Connection is everything.

 

[Cinder]

Incline Presses Do Not Really Work the Upper Pecs Much ! - YouTube

And he's full of himself...
Everyone who's done mostly incline knows better.
"We didn't evolve to push forward in an upward manor"
It's called evolve for a reason, and we didn't do things for growth either so his points are pointless.

 

[Fit2Serve]

definitely no incline barbell presses

if your delts are a dominant body part like mine are incline press is NOT a good choice at all imo and experience.
when i do ANY incline presses i get sore exactly on my front delts. like it was perfectly targeted.
declines and dips for the win. some pec deck here n there
muscle shape is primarily genetically determined. really no way to get around that. or dennis wolf would have bigger calves, johnny jackson woulda had bigger legs etc etc etc
-F2S

 

[grizzly978]

Look into cable or exercise band flys. I do single arm flys and will put my hand on my upper chest to make sure I feel the muscle pumping up and adjust my arms and the cable accordingly until i feel it hitting the upper part the most. Just my 2 cents

 

[danieltx]

if your delts are a dominant body part like mine are incline press is NOT a good choice at all imo and experience.
when i do ANY incline presses i get sore exactly on my front delts. like it was perfectly targeted.
-F2S

I'm the same way with barbell inclines on a fixed bench.

I switched to a Smith machine with a lower angle for inclines a few years ago and my chest has made tons of progress since. I can make the pecs work much more and eliminate virtually all front delt involvement.

 

[OutToLunch]

Any merit to these from the floor or bench?

https://www.t-nation.com/videos/tip-the-power-floor-flye-for-chest

 

[Smack]

I'm the same way with barbell inclines on a fixed bench.

I switched to a Smith machine with a lower angle for inclines a few years ago and my chest has made tons of progress since. I can make the pecs work much more and eliminate virtually all front delt involvement.

Does the way you push on the smith make any difference? Or just that's how you could get the angle right?

 

[Biggerp73]

 

[danieltx]

Does the way you push on the smith make any difference? Or just that's how you could get the angle right?

I use a Flex Fit Smith machine and it's angled. I put the bench inside facing out so I'm pressing up at a forward angle rather than back towards my head. I feel it more in my pecs that way and get a better stretch since I'm coming back down towards my upper pecs instead of lower down.

For the bench itself, I've gone from the first setting after flat to the third over the years.

 

[lookslikesausage]

Any merit to these from the floor or bench?

https://www.t-nation.com/videos/tip-the-power-floor-flye-for-chest

tried them on the floor...still prefer a pec-dec. with a floor flye, the stretch on the pec is minimal but then so is the shear on the anterior delt. for guys with bad shoulders, floor flyes might be a gentle substitute for your standard flye. Even though i have bad shoulders, i did not fall in love with them. now if i could just find one of those old Flex Incline Flye machines somewhere i think i'd be in business. It's too bad that none of the big fitness companies have come out with a low incline flye machine. WTF are they waiting for?

 

[beastmode121]

There’s no such thing as best exercise.. it’s not like your upper chest knows what you are using .. OH SHIT ITS INCLINE DB; I SHOULD GROW!

Time under Tension and frequency.

Do upper chest 2x a week. drop sets; rest pauses; heavy weight, high volume one day; low volume the next. ALWAYS start with incline.


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[AGGRO]

Incline barbell press is my favorite exercise. Pause at the bottom and concentrate on the upper chest as you press.